For the first time in the nine-year history of the official eSports Bundesliga of the German Football League (DFL) the teams were organised into two sections for the 2020/21 season. The clubs were in North-West and South-East divisions. The eSports players from the first and second division clubs played 26 games in their respective league, which was divided into two half seasons like the Bundesliga.
The #B04eSports players secured fifth spot in the North-West section with 109 points. That qualified the team for the Final Chance round. This was played on Tuesday and Wednesday with the teams finishing third to sixth in the two divisions competing for a slot in the VBL Grand Final. The top two teams from the two sections qualified directly for the finals tournament.
The teams started the Final Chance with a 2 v 2 match. Hoffenheim had the choice of console as the better-placed side and they opted for Xbox. While Lukas ‘LUKAS_1004’ Seiler and Jan-Luca ‘BASSINHO’ Bass were on the controllers for TSG, Bayer 04 started with the experienced Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin and youngster Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr. And the Black and Reds took the lead just before half-time: The virtual Kerem Demirbay found Samed Onur on the edge of the box and he dummied his opponent before putting the ball in the back of the net to make it 1-0 (40’). A successful start to the evening.
The closing stages of the 2 v 2 encounter brought a setback: Daley Sinkgraven was alleged to have brought down an opponent in the penalty area and the TSG eSports players converted the ensuing penalty (72’). Not much happened after that and the scoreline was 1-1 after the first virtual 90 minutes. “A hard-fought game with an unlucky penalty decision,” was ‘DETO’ assessment of the 2 v 2.
The following 1 v 1 on PlayStation 4 saw Bayer 04’s ‘MARC_LDW23’ taking on Hoffenheim’s ‘LUKAS_1004’. The clash between the two 18-year-olds looked to be heading for a another draw – until the TSG eSports player broke into the penalty area on 76 minutes with a clear sight of the target. The Hoffenheim player made no mistake as he slotted the ball into the right side of the goal and that turned out to be the winner.
Leverkusen needed a victory in the third match against TSG to force a fourth and decisive encounter. Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae started on Xbox against ‘BASSINHO’. The Leverkusen player pressed forward in search of the important opener and was successful on 58 minutes. However, the strike from Demirbay was surprisingly ruled out. “We can’t really explain the reasons for that,” ‘B04_DUBZJE’ is reported to have said after the final whistle. Bitter: Shortly after that came the opener from TSG (62’).
‘B04_DUBZJE’ upped the ante and again and again he got into the opposition box. The #B04eSports player netted a deserved leveller on 85 minutes. In spite of a number of clear-cut chances at the death, the Black and Reds were unable to score the crucial second goal. “The FIFA god unfortunately wasn’t on our side tonight,” summed up ‘B04_DUBZJE’ after the exit from the Final Chance round.
The evening ended with a narrow defeat in the Final Chance round. The #B04eSports players have missed out on progressing to the VBL Grand Final.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
Show more
43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
Show more
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
Show more
A record-breaking year ends for the Bayer 04 Women. Fourth place, 13 wins and 43 points in the 2024/25 campaign - the Werkself have never been so good in the Bundesliga. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team also had plenty of reasons to celebrate in the first half of the new Bundesliga season - although there were also a few disappointments. A look back at 2025 for the Bayer 04 Women’s team.
Show more
